ATLANTA – The dominance not only continued, it somehow became even worse yesterday when John Smoltz came trotting out of the bullpen. The former Cy Young Award winner-turned-reliever, emblematic of the Braves’ pitching superiority over the Mets, was called upon to close out thegame after John Rocker had reached his limit.

Smoltz put away the game 1-2-3, culminating with a strikeout of Bobby Bonilla, and the Mets came slouching back to New York with only one thing going for them. They have faced near elimination before this season, and Al Leiter has been there to stop it.

Leiter, who pitches Game 3 against Braves Tom Glavine Friday at Shea Stadium, has been responsible for stopping an eight-game losing streak in June, a seven-game losing streak in late September against these Braves, and pitched a shutout in the one-game elimination against the Reds.

Now he will be asked to stop an even more damaging two-game losing streak, which the Braves had built after yesterday’s 4-3 victory at Turner Field.

The Mets finally looked to have the upper hand in a game, taking a 2-0 lead into the sixth inning. Kenny Rogers gave up a pair of two-run home runs to Brian Jordan and Eddie Perez in the bottom of the sixth and the Braves held on to win yet again.

“This one is very frustrating,” Mike Piazza said. “This was a game we should have won. And the most frustrating part is that they find a way to beat us, and we don’t find a way to beat them. Whether it’s Chipper Jones or Eddie Perez or Brian Jordan, they always seem to find a way. It’s something we have to overcome.”

And in a hurry.

The Braves lead the best-of-seven series 2-0 and have won 11 of 14 games against the Mets this year, including seven of eight here. No wonder. The Braves have so many weapons at their disposal, including a pitcher like Smoltz, whose very presence was like the worst kind of salt in the Mets’ 0-2 wound.

Rogers was pitching very well, believe it or not, against a lineup that had not seen much of him before. It was, without a doubt, his best post-season performance ever; and sadly still is. But after he gave up the first two-run homer to Jordan, Bobby Valentine should have lifted him.

Instead he left him in, even after Andruw Jones singled, and then Perez went deep again, prompting Valentine to throw his hat in the dugout and kick a few things over, an uncharacteristic display of emotion for him.

After the game, Valentine said he was close to taking Rogers out after the first home run, and it may be a decision he rues all winter.

“Real close,” Valentine said. “No doubt about that. I had no reason to keep him in. I left him in and it was absolutely the wrong move.”

Rogers was baffling the Braves and actually leading 2-0 thanks to Roger Cedeno’s RBI single in the second and a solo home run by Melvin Mora, who replaced a sick Rickey Henderson in the second inning.

But in the sixth, Rogers lost it. Jordan lifted a fly ball down the right-field line with Chipper Jones on first thanks to a one-out walk. The ball was going straight down the line and just wouldn’t hook. It hit the screen on the inside of the pole and the previously dormant crowd of 44,624 erupted as the Braves tied it.

It wouldn’t be long before they were up again. Andruw Jones followed with a single to left and Perez, who had homered in Game 1, reached down for a low pitch with nothing on it and rifled it high into the left-field stands and the Braves had a 4-2 lead.

Finally, that was all for Rogers, who went 51/3 innings, gave up four runs on nine hits, walked three and struck out only one. His counterpart Kevin Millwood held his team in the game until it took the lead in the sixth, and eventually gave way to Rocker.

The Mets did not go down without a fight and scored an unearned run in the eighth after Chipper Jones allowed a roller by Mora, whose home run was his first in the major leagues, to slip under his glove. Edgardo Alfonzo rocketed a double to left center, scoring Mora, but that was all the Mets would get.

Rocker replaced Millwood and struck out John Olerud. Then, after walking Piazza intentionally, struck out Robin Ventura on a beautiful curve. It was the fourth time Ventura had struck out against him in four career at-bats.

In the ninth, Smoltz got Shawon Dunston to pop up, forced Cedeno to ground out to short, and then struck out pinch-hitter Bonilla on a questionable call on the outside corner.

“It’s not over,” Leiter said. “Look what Boston did down 0-2 in a five-game series. They came back and won three in a row against a very good Cleveland team.”